¶ … Social Studies: Is it History?" By Lisa Zamosky

Children in many classrooms are lacking in basic social studies knowledge (geography, history, and a basic understanding of the political system.

The "No Child Left Behind" Law has left less instructional time for social studies and other educational areas that are not deemed as essential for the standardized testing NCLB demands

Eliminating Social Studies means less prepared citizens

Lack of knowledge creates concerns for full participation in the country's democratic system

Educators believe that social studies "are integral in teaching a sense of civic duty" and fulfill society's expectations of public school learning

Emphasis on other areas is the prime culprit

Reduced time spent teaching social studies and other subjects was noticeable even before NCLB

B. A 2007 report found that at least 44% had cut time from certain subjects to improve test scores in other areas

Problems worse for low-income kids

A. Low-income and high-minority schools are far less likely to spend adequate or any time learning social studies

B. Could lead to a societal division between "those who know what a difference they can make as citizens and those who don't."

V. Lack of Social Studies means lack of social understanding

A. Social studies provides an understanding of the social network, which no other subject adequately covers.

B. Lack of social studies could mean a lack of understanding how to work in a large group over extended periods of time to accomplish things

VI. Less Social Studies puts students at risk of general academic failure

A. No understanding of vocabulary needed for history and other courses taken later in the course of education.

B. General reading ability and comprehension also suffers, especially on standardized tests that assume general knowledge about certain subjects

VII. "Learning in a vacuum" reduces intellectual ability

A. Learning about interconnected disciplines in isolation from each other leads to lower abilities and test scores.

B. Debate and thorough explanations are losing ground to the faster method of memorization, which involves no critical thinking

VIII. Conclusion

A. Social studies is a necessary subject that creates a sense of civic duty and furthers education overall, and needs to be re-emphasized in the classroom.

B. If we do not know about our history and our current system, there is little hope of our being able to build a better future.